Lifeguard kicks man who's hesitant to jump off diving board

A lifeguard shocked onlookers by appearing to kick a man off a diving board after he hesitated before jumping in.

Diving can be pretty scary - you never quite gauge exactly how high that diving board is until you're standing on the end of it with nowhere to go but down.

Now, if you get to the board and realize you grossly misjudged it and aren't confident enough to take the leap, you'd think you would have the option to turn around and get down safely - albeit with potentially a dent in your pride.

However, one man in Austria did not get the chance to change his mind, as a lifeguard kicked him in the back to get him to jump.

Posted by Gabi Kwiatkowski on Monday, August 21, 2023

The footage, reportedly filmed in Austria, was shared on social media and quickly went viral for the unbelievable scenes.

The man can be seen clinging on to the railings for dear life as his back bends while the lifeguard pushes him with his foot on his pelvis.

He is eventually forced to let go with his hands and goes plunging into the water below as screams can be heard from onlookers.

According to reports, the lifeguard had taken the drastic measure of pushing the man off the board with his foot after he reportedly refused two different lifeguards' requests to come down from the edge.

It is not known how the man felt after he was forced into the water.

Steyrer Stadtbades, the authority that runs the pool where the incident took place, said in a statement that the lifeguard in the video worked for their company and did kick the man off the diving board.

It said: "SBS will do everything they can so that the Steyrer in the future can bring an enjoyable and comfortable time at Steyrer Stadtbad.

"A lifeguard's job is to ensure the safety of customers. Therefore it is very regrettable that the lifeguard was involved with the fall.

"We are doing all we can to be clear of the circumstances."

SBS has also met with people who were at the pool at the time of the incident and apologized for the "lapse in judgment" from the lifeguard involved.

According to reports from the Daily Mail, the lifeguard in question will not be allowed to work at the pool where the incident occurred and will not be able to return for the rest of the summer season, but can work at another branch.

Austrian publication OÖNachrichten stated that internal investigations are still ongoing into what happened, with the lifeguard having gone on holiday since the incident. Local authorities are also conducting their own investigation.

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